Supplement Shop

If you need a fresh way to vary your training programme or shock stubborn muscles into some new growth, then you ought to give reverse training a try. The reverse training technique is simple to use and can be a highly effective way to stimulate rapid growth. It involves reversing your normal exercise order for a given muscle group.

Let’s take your chest as an example. Normally, you probably start a chest workout with some heavy basic movements - maybe flat bench presses followed by incline presses. Then, you may move to some machine work (i.e. the seated machine press), followed by some cable crossovers.

With reverse training, you start with your isolation movements and progress to your basic movements. So, you’d begin with cable crossovers and flyes (heavier than usual), go through your machine work, and actually finish up with the bench press.

Of course, by the time you get to the bench press, your pectorals, shoulders and arms will be thoroughly exhausted. You’ll have to go a bit lighter than usual in terms of weight, but you’ll be hitting the pecs in a unique, direct, and powerful way. And you’ll get an incredible pump! Reverse training is also extremely useful if you only have access to light weights (if you’re training at home or at a poorly equipped gym). It allows you to fatigue your muscles without the need for heavy weights.

On the face of it, reverse training seems to fly in the face of conventional thinking. But that’s why it works so well. It gives your muscles a stimulus they’re not used to and shocks them into growth. The best way to use reverse training is every now and then (once a month or so). You should find the technique particularly useful for training your chest and thighs, but it can work with other muscle groups as well. Give it a try.